NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 11, 2023 – For the first time since 2020, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team has claimed the NJCAA Div. I Men's Basketball East District Championship. The top-seeded Mustangs defeated No. 3 Allegany College of Maryland in Saturday's championship game, 89-78, to claim this year's District Title and the East District's automatic berth into the 2023 NJCAA Div. I Men's Basketball Championship Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. The Mustangs outscored the Trojans, 57-37, in the second half to erase a nine-point halftime deficit and secure the comeback victory.
The Mustangs' last East District Championship in 2020 is a bittersweet memory for Monroe. Despite earning their spot at Hutch, the Mustangs and the rest of the field did not get to compete in the 2020 NJCAA Championship, as the tournament was canceled by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Mustangs are now set for their first trip back to the tournament at Hutchinson Community College since 2017.
Keith Warren Jr. was named the 2023 East District Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after a strong performance across both days of the tournament, including a team-high 20 points in Saturday's victory.
Tyje Kelton was also selected to the East District Championship All-Tournament Team after 20 points in Friday's semifinal and a double-double in Saturday's championship win.
The Mustangs and Trojans played just about as evenly as they could throughout much of the opening half. After Monroe took a 12-7 lead with 14:07 left in the first, the Trojans soon jumped on top, 17-16. The Mustangs scored the next four, but Tyson Oghene hit a three for the Trojans to tie the game at 20-20.
A Tekao Carpenter three put the Trojans back up by a point with 6:25 left in the half, but
Jawarie Hamelin responded with one of his own to make it a 25-23 game in favor of Monroe. With the Mustangs still up by two, the Trojans turned in a 13-0 run to take a 40-29 advantage on Monroe with 1:37 to go until the half.
Melvin Council Jr. halted the run with a three, but Cam'Ron Brown made a free throw for Allegany for the final point of the half, giving the Trojans a 41-32 edge at the break.
The Mustangs stormed out of the gate with nine straight points to open the second half, quickly tying the game at 41-41. Brandon Hilliard made a jumper to put the Trojans back on top, but
Tyje Kelton sank a three to give the Mustangs the lead. The Trojans got five straight points by Dalyn Brandon to go back up by four, but Kelton hit another three and then Hamelin made a put-back layup to make it a 49-48 game in favor of Monroe.
Allegany scored the next three on free throws to go back up by two. Council then slammed down a fast-break dunk to tie the game again.
Keith Warren Jr. drained a three, and then
Albert Vargas and
Stefano Faloppa made tough layups on back-to-back possessions to make it a 58-51 lead for Monroe. Cam'Ron Brown hit a layup for the Trojans, but Warren and Council made a pair of big threes to push Monroe's advantage to 64-53 with 8:04 to play.
The clutch shooting continued for the Mustangs. Kelton made a two, and then
Albert Vargas hit a three from the corner. Vargas then drew a foul, making both shots to make it a 71-55 score with 5:47 to go. Vargas then intercepted a pass and took it all the way for another two to make it an 18-point Mustang lead and a 9-0 run. The Trojans ended the run with three straight points, but Warren hit yet another three for a 76-58 lead with 4:25 to go.
Allegany chipped away by drawing fouls, cutting the deficit to seven points after a 10-0 run that included seven free throws. Hamelin made 1-of-2 from the line to end the run, but Hilliard responded with a jumper to make it a six-point game. Kelton then hit a layup, followed by a stop for the Mustangs. Council then drew a foul, making both shots to push the lead back to 10 with 60 seconds on the clock. Car'Ron Brown came down the court and hit a three for the Trojans to get back within seven. Vargas and Council each made one from the line on the next two possessions to make it a nine-point game. Brandon went to the line and made 1-of-2 for Allegany to make it an 86-78 score with just over 20 seconds to go. Warren made another pair of free throws, followed by one more from Council to close out the game and the championship victory for the Mustangs with an 89-78 final score.
Warren made five three-pointers to lead the Mustangs with 20 points in the win. Kelton completed a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Council and Hamelin matched with 14 points apiece. Vargas contributed 10 points off the bench with a team-high seven assists.
The question is no longer if the Mustangs will be in the NJCAA Championship tournament, but where they will land in the bracket. The 2023 NJCAA Div. I Men's Basketball Championship Bracket Reveal will be live on the NJCAA Network on Sunday, March 12, at 7 p.m. The women's basketball bracket reveal will immediately follow the men's show at 8 p.m., revealing where in the bracket the Mustang women will land as well.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 11 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at
www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
